Overview of Federal Financial Report (FFR)

What is the purpose?

Recipients of federal funds are required to report the status of funds for grants or assistance agreements via the Federal Financial Report (FFR) expenditure data. The FFR module allows recipients to electronically submit a statement of expenditures associated with their grant to the sponsor of the grant via eRA Commons. The schedule for submitting FFR is generally specified in the award documents of a grant or contract.

Expenditure data for grant awards is now reported to the NIH via the Federal Financial Report (FFR).

Main Screenshots

For users with the FSR role, after logging into eRA Commons, go to the apps icon in the upper left corner and select FFR from the drop-down menu.

Accessing FFR from the apps icon

Figure 1: Accessing FFR from the apps icon

 

eRA Commons navigation tab for FFR for users with the FSR role

Figure 2:  eRA Commons navigation tab for FFR for users with the FSR role from older screens

 

FFR Search Screen

Figure 3: FFR Search Screen

What are the features of FFR?

  • The FFR Search Screen in eRA Commons allows users with a unique Financial role to search by grant number, due date range, latest FFR status, etc. The query will bring up a 'hitlist' of applications sorted by Institution, latest FFR status and grant number.
  • The FFR will not show up in eRA Commons unless it is due.
  • The FFR expenditure data form will pre-populate with information from the eRA system
  • Users can submit either a new FFR or revised FFR.

What are the benefits of the FFR module?

  • Facilitates compliance with grants regulations governing financial reporting.
  • Provides accurate status of all recipient FFRs.
  • Offers convenient online reporting capabilities.

Who can use the FFR module?

  • eRA Commons users who have the correct role can access the module via Commons. Users will not see the FFR tab unless they have been assigned this role.
  • A Signing Official or Account Administrator can add the role to accounts in the Commons to submit FFRs on behalf of the institution.